University of Pittsburgh
May 23, 2002

University of Michigan Law School Dean To Deliver Pitt Law School Commencement Address May 25

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May 24, 2002

PITTSBURGH—Jeffrey S. Lehman, dean of the University of Michigan (U-M) Law School and professor of law and public policy at U-M, will deliver the commencement address at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law's graduation ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium, in Oakland.

Lehman, in his second term as dean of the U-M Law School, is the president of the American Law Deans Association. He earned the J.D. degree and a master's degree in public policy from U-M in 1981 after having earned a baccalaureate degree in mathematics from Cornell University in 1977.

While in law school, Lehman was editor-in-chief of the Michigan Law Review. Upon graduation, he served as law clerk to Chief Judge Frank Coffin of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and then clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens. He practiced tax law for four years with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Caplin and Drysdale, Chartered. Lehman joined the U-M faculty in 1987.

Under his leadership, the U-M Law School has extended its relationships with other law schools around the world and has attracted national attention for its initiatives in public service, legal writing, and international law. In 1995, the National Law Journal named Lehman one of 40 "rising stars" in the legal profession. The American Bar Association recognized the U-M Law School with the Judy M. Weightman Memorial Public Interest School of the Year Award in 2001.

This year, Pitt Law's graduating students include 247 who will receive J.D. degrees, 14 who will receive the Master of Laws degree designed for foreign law graduates, and three who are earning the Master of Studies in Law degree (MSL), which was developed for working professionals who wish to enhance their careers by gaining a better understanding of the law and the legal aspects of their professions without becoming lawyers; this is the second class of MSL graduates.

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